Nearby: Wall of Wars to Connect All Veterans

A brisk, autumn chill lingered on the grounds of the Northport Veterans Affairs Friday as a dozen green-jacket bearing Vietnam veterans proudly held images of the future Wall of Wars monuments, which will honor U.S. troops from all wars in American history.

Three years ago, the area of the Northport VA, where the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Garden now stands, was a barren, unattractive piece of land, Philip Moschitta, director of the VA’s medical center, said during the Veterans Day ceremony Friday.

However, the Suffolk County Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America worked to make the space into a serene memorial garden. Now, the space is used to hold concerts, events and serves as a place of tranquility for veterans to find peace.

“This area has truly become the heart of our facility that is used constantly and will only grow in its use,” Moschitta said. The space will become an even more attractive destination after the Wall of Wars in installed within the coming months. 

The Wall of Wars is the final stage of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Garden project, and will feature 12 granite monuments, each depicting a period of war in America’s history: the American revolution, War of 1812, Indian Wars, The Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Global War on Terror.

For the veterans who initiated the building of the Wall of Wars, the desire to have a monument that one can physically connect with is a moving testament to the connection between surviving veterans and those that came before them, Moschitta explained, in describing the sentiment of what he and other veterans felt when the Vietnam Memorial travel wall visited Northport two years ago.

“You had to touch it. By touching it, it somehow connected you to those young patriots,” he said.

Richard Kitson, president of the Suffolk County chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, said that the Wall of Wars would be in place by Memorial Day.

It’s going to be magnificent,” he said. “The last five monuments here, these are veterans who are still alive, who can feel that they’re at home- to feel that someone really cared enough to do something like this,” he said, describing the new monument.

Kitson spoke from his heart on what he felt after returning home after the Vietnam War and going through life mad and sad about what he experienced. He said that having monuments such as the Wall of Wars is a testament to a vow to embrace service men and women coming home, and represented a promise that never again would one generation abandon another. 

“This is the courtyard where a lot of healing will happen,” he said. 

Douglas Manditch, chairman and CEO of Empire National Bank, was a main benefactor behind the building of the Wall of Wars. He emphasized though that his work isn’t done and encouraged community members to help where they could by donating toward the inclusion of decorative lamps, bricks or a bench to further beautify the garden.

Congressman Tim Bishop was also in the audience to support the building of the monument and applauded the Vietnam Veterans of America for their continued commitment to their country and fellow service men and women who continue to fight in the Middle East.

“We don’t have to be as brave as our nation’s veterans have been. We don’t have to be as courageous. We don’t have to be as skilled as they’ve been, but if we can just reach out a little bit and find common cause, show some respect and show some selflessness and yes, show some love, a lot of the problems that we think are so unbearable, I bet they’d melt away,” Bishop said.